AFTER DECEMBER
by Tribeca
Summary: Long after Saturnalia has passed, the mistletoe still hangs, feelings are revealed and good times and improper grammar ensue. One Shot.


**A/N: A lengthy one shot...hope that's okay...just more Shenny wishes.**

**AFTER DECEMBER**

**December**

He sat up in bed still unable to sleep. He felt for the coolness of the plastic bag that was tucked in beside him and he took it cautiously in his hand, careful not to squeeze it too tightly. The bag crinkled slightly, but the silk-like texture of its contents quieted any possible noise that may have been generated by the constriction of his hand. He wanted to turn the light on, to get out of bed, to jump and shout and cheer. He wanted to take the gold napkin out and rub it across his face, under his nose to inhale it even though there really wasn't a distinctive scent. He wanted to smooth it across his mouth to feel the fabric glide effortlessly over his lips. Instead, he lay in the still of the night and thought…about _her_.

He'd thought about her a lot over the past year and three months that he had known her. But each time she would slip into the crevices of his mind he would shut his eyes tightly and force her out. He had no room or time for thoughts that did not revolve around the mysteries of the universe that he would someday solve and in doing so would be awarded the Nobel Prize. But on this night, this night of Saturnalia, she had given him a gift that had touched him so profoundly that he wondered if he had miscalculated the significance of her presence in his life.

Though it was late, and he was actually glad because it meant his roommate would be asleep, he knew that she would still be up. He pictured her legs curled beneath her body on her small sofa with a glass of wine while she watched some inane holiday movie. She would probably be crying. That's what Penny did when she watched those late night mushy _women's movies. _He had seen his mother and sister display the same odd behavior through the years and so he didn't really worry that her tears meant that she was sad. However, he felt an unexpected twinge in his gut at the mere thought of her being sad.

He eased his body off his bed and reached in the darkness for his robe, then felt around with his sock footed feet for his slippers. He silently opened his bedroom door and glided through the apartment, across the hall and found himself in front of her door. He rolled his eyes at the Santa that hung merrily…_ridiculously_…from the brass hook that she'd made him help her with earlier in the week. He leaned his ear closer, though with his Vulcan hearing it really wasn't necessary.

He tapped gently with his nine knocks and three whispers of her name.

He'd never know it, but she was standing with her hand on the other side of the door by the time he'd whispered the second 'Penny' but she knew it was important to him that he get all three out. 'My sweet whack-a-doodle,' she thought to herself and then wondered how this OCD tendency of his had become so endearing to her.

"Hey," she smiled up at him when she finally pulled the door open.

He shook his head, "Did you check the peephole before opening the door? Honestly Penny, I could have been a deranged killer."

She reached and grabbed his arm, pulling him into her apartment and gently pushing the door shut.

"Sweetie, I doubt a deranged killer would knock and call my name the same way you do. He would just bust in here with an ax and chop my head off," she giggled at the sight of his face twitching. "What are you doing up so late? It's past midnight."

He shifted back and forth on his feet, his eyes darting around the room, his mind racing for some reasonable explanation for him being there. Why couldn't he just tell her the real reason? Why were his feelings for her locked up so tightly inside?

"Well," he looked toward the television, "the volume of the vacuous movie you are watching is extremely loud and I felt it my duty on behalf of all of the residents of the building to come over and ask you to please lower the sound."

"Sheldon," she sighed as she made her way back to the sofa, "it's not that loud. You wanna watch with me?"

She plopped down and patted the seat beside her and looked expectantly at him.

He remained standing, resisting the urge to not only join her on the sofa, but to grab her, to pull her to him, to kiss her and hug her and thank her and beg her to feel for him what he felt for her.

"Really, Penny, 'wanna' is not a word in the English language," he corrected her.

She rolled her eyes at him and he smirked and walked towards her small Christmas tree that stood just outside her bedroom door. The lights twinkled and danced and the fresh clean scent of the cypress pine tree immediately invaded his senses and flung his mind back to the holidays of his childhood. He reached for a small red and white ornament and flicked it with his finger.

"It's pretty isn't it?" She was beside him now, "Just admit you love Christmas as much as I do Sheldon. I won't tell anyone, it'll be our secret." She grinned at him and placed her hand on his flannel covered arm.

He shook his head and almost started to lecture her on just how awful the pagan holiday was but chose rather to thank her yet again for her gift.

"I…I don't feel that I gave you a proper expression of appreciation for your gift earlier."

He felt his face go hot and was grateful for the dim lighting, the lights from the tree and the glow from the television the only sources of light in the apartment.

"Oh, Sheldon," she laughed, rubbing her hand up and down his arm, "the hug that you gave me was better than anything else you could have done. Even better than all of the great gift baskets you gave me."

He sighed and took a step back in an effort to put distance between the two of them, concerned that his body might betray him if he allowed her to get too close. He certainly didn't want her to know the effect she had on him, especially late in the night.

"Well," he spoke with his best authoritative voice, "cherish it because hugs from Doctor Sheldon Lee Cooper are few and far between. You are very fortunate to be one of the few recipients. It's a small set of individuals, just you, my mom, my sister and my mee maw."

"Well then, I feel very special," she stepped towards him, erasing the distance.

He was acutely aware of the heat from her body. The sensation of the her warmth, combined with the amorous feelings he was battling, caused him to take yet another step backwards, putting him in the doorframe that led to her bedroom.

She giggled and took another step forward and before he could anticipate her next move, she pushed up onto her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his cheek then pointed upwards.

"Mistletoe," she laughed, and then taking note of the apprehension on his face said, "You know, Christmas tradition."

As she lowered her heels back down to the floor, she couldn't help but feel the beginnings of his desire brush against her thigh. She blushed, unsure of whom she was more embarrassed for, Sheldon or herself.

His eyes shot up to the tangle of green leaves and white berries that hung from the top of the doorframe as his brain ran through its catalogue of Christmas traditions.

Though he already knew the answer to the question he was about to pose, he asked it of her anyway, as if needing her permission before proceeding, "And the social convention is?"

"Well, you know Sheldon," she studied his face, shadows playing across it as the lights from the tree twinkled around them, "stand under the mistletoe and you get a kiss." Then she added for good measure, "And it's non-optional."

"And the fact that you are standing in close proximity to me therefore renders that you too are under the mistletoe as well, therefore logic would dictate that I must reciprocate?"

She gulped, not sure…_but oh so sure_…of where he was going with his reasoning and whispered, "Yes."

And so he bent, almost in slow motion it seemed to Penny, and brought his lips to hers.

His lips were tentative and slightly hesitant as they moved gently over hers. He stalled, wrestling with himself to maintain some semblance of self control but he could feel the fifteen months of pent-up longing for her rising from his gut, up his throat and settling into his tongue that was now doing battle with hers. He had meant to offer her a sweet, closed mouth kiss, but her urgency had taken over and she shoved at his closed lips with her tongue, desperately seeking entrance into his mouth. Neither of them should have been surprised really…that was their thing, this constant battle for dominance over the other. He found it fascinating that he, the most competitive man on the planet, didn't even care who the victor was. He was just pleased to be a soldier on the battlefield of her sweet, warm tongue. Sheldon had finally given in, and really he'd known all along that he would, and allowed her tongue to push gently into his mouth. He knew she would go there and he wondered if she was aware that he _needed_ her to go there, that he needed her lack of inhibition to bring him along for the sensual pleasure of being this connected to one another.

He felt her tongue slip back and for a moment he was afraid she was ending the kiss, but then she drug her teeth across his bottom lip and he felt himself gasp in her mouth at the sheer intensity of the moment. He'd never experienced anything like it and it occurred to him that everything up to this point in his life that he had thought so important, so urgent, was _not_. This instant with Penny, right here, right now, was all that mattered, all that would ever matter.

He still doesn't remember how his arms ended up on her waist, and hers around his neck, pulling him lower to further accommodate their entanglement, he only knew that he liked it. He couldn't begin to explain how his hands moved from her waist to under her skimpy tank top, nor could he expound on how his palms ended up splayed across her perfect, cotton covered breasts. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or frustrated that she wore a bra. And even now he didn't know how their lungs functioned with no intake of oxygen.

"Slow down…Penny…I can't…," his words did not match his movements.

Penny's body trembled under his touch. She was keenly aware of his arousal, had been before their lips had even touched. She had pressed her eyes closed as the kiss began, and shut them harder when she felt his hands roaming her body, afraid that if she dared to open them she'd open them to an empty room, a flickering television, an awareness that it had only been a dream of him. Again…a dream of Sheldon wanting her the way she wanted him. But as the seconds ticked onward, she dared to peek, to let the realization that her long held fantasy was actually playing out before her.

Her legs began to quiver as he took her breath away. He sensed this and made adjustments, all while keeping his mouth and his body, pressed to hers. He supported her body, no longer caring that she could feel his want for her pressing forward. He, in fact, _wanted_ her to feel it…wanted her to _know_…wanted to leave no doubt. He allowed his manhood to speak to her what his words could not.

After what seemed like a lifetime, he pulled himself apart from her, slowly removing his hands and dropping them awkwardly to his side. Her mind reeled and her body ached for more. He too wanted more, so much more, but he wasn't clear on what that more was. More what? More Penny, of that he was sure. But he wasn't clear on how to achieve his desire. He knew the mechanics of coitus, but he had never calculated the emotions that intertwined with the act. And so he did the only thing he knew to do. The thing that he always did when faced with an unsolvable circumstance. He retreated.

"Happy Saturnalia Penny," he whispered as he brushed past her and left her apartment without looking back.

**January**

They made it through the holiday, unexpectedly all five of them ending up at Howard's house, his Jewish mother had agreed to prepare a large Christmas dinner for the band of five friends, her son's close social circle with no other family in the Pasadena area. They were here from Nebraska and Texas and New Jersey and India. But for that one Christmas, this motley crew gathered around the Wolowitz menorah and sang of the birth of Jesus...a true mishmash of cultures and beliefs and religions. Howard's mom didn't get it, but she was so pleased that he had brought them to gather in her home that she just smiled with satisfaction and served her incredibly moist, tender brisket.

Weeks had passed and the last week of the first month of the New Year was drawing to an end. Memories of Christmas and New Years celebrations were fading with normalcy creeping back into their schedules. Classes had resumed at CalTech and the boys were busy again. Penny was back to her usual schedule of running from audition to audition while slowly spinning her wheels at the Cheesecake Factory. Neither she nor Sheldon had mentioned their intimate moment under the mistletoe. They hadn't been alone since that night, but occasionally one would catch the other staring intently and then they both would quickly look away.

And then late one night, because that seemed to be when his courage was at its peak, the knock that she had expected began, followed by the whispering of her name. Nine times…three times. She waited until he completed his ritual and then pulled the door open and stood back allowing him entrance. Plaid flannel drifted past her as she moved to close the door. She turned to him and watched as he moved his eyes from his feet up to her face, around the room, and then settled on the greenery that still hung atop the doorframe of her bedroom. It was the only remaining décor from her holiday celebration.

"You left it up," he said shyly, not a question, just a statement.

"For you," she replied, her heart pounding.

"For me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"For us," she corrected herself.

He reached for her, and with her hand firmly planted in his, he led her to the same spot where he'd kissed her weeks before. He looked up to assure that he…they…were directly under the pieces of green. After all, he had to follow proper protocol.

"Does the Christmas tradition extend to January?" he asked, fidgeting with his hands, then granting himself permission to reach and push a strand of blonde behind her ear.

"Oh yes," she giggled, "you know those crazy pagans. All willy nilly with their nutty customs. Whatever made them feel good."

He smiled and then bent to brush his lips against hers, bringing her in tight against his body, dropping his head to her neck, meeting her smooth skin with his wet mouth. He pulled away and with the icy blue of his irises piercing into her emerald globes, he asked "And does this feel good?"

"Yes," she breathed out, stretching her neck upwards, nonverbally pleading for more of him.

"I concur," he sighed, gliding his lips to her pulsing clavicle. He shifted his weight, aware that this night, like the last one he had stood there with her, she could no doubt feel his desire growing and pushing against her.

"God," she moaned, pressing into him, subconsciously giving a gentle push, willing him towards her bed.

"Penny," he breathed, his hot breath dancing across her goose bump covered skin. "I'm…I'm not ready…I don't know…," his voice trailed off, his assertiveness quickly being overtaken by awkwardness.

"I'm…sorry," she whispered, backing away.

"No, I am. I'm sorry for my lack of…experience…my inability to provide what you need."

"Sheldon…"

He bent to kiss her; it was soft and gentle, lacking the lust from moments earlier.

"Good night Penny…oh, and Happy Saturnalia."

"It's January, Sheldon," she said, disappointment at his departure coloring her words.

"I'm aware," he said, pointing upwards to the mistletoe and then turned and walked away, leaving her standing beneath it cold and alone on that dark January night.

**February**

Valentine's Day. Great. Another one alone. She poured herself a second glass of wine and laughed, thinking about a cartoon she'd seen online one time…another glass of _whine_ the caption had read…yep, that was her tonight. The hard thing about this particular Valentine's Day, and it followed so many sucky ones from the past, was that now, instead of wishing and hoping and praying for some special man to come into her life, to be her Valentine, there was only _one_ man that could fulfill that dream. To use _his_ language, her Valentine wish was a tiny subset with one lone member…Sheldon Lee Cooper.

He sat in his spot across the hall from the only woman he'd ever cared about. The only woman who had ever caused such a disruption to his thought process that he'd had to abandon his whiteboard and flop onto the leather cushions, all but giving up on the equation before him. He turned the television on, then off, then on again and finally muted it, needing the silence to think…to process…to figure out what the hell she was doing to him.

Nine times…three times…two glasses of wine later…

"Mistletoe…now," he panted, grabbing her and dragging her there, she was barely able to push the door closed.

"I…" he leaned down, hands on each side of her face, "I…had to…"

"I understand," she breathed across his neck, "Me too."

"But…I didn't tell you…" his hands on her waist, under her shirt, sliding to her ass.

"You don't have to…" she whispered, hoping like hell he didn't run from her this time.

"I want…"

"I know Sheldon."

"But I don't know…"

"It's okay sweetie. Just…"

"My God Penny…" his voice trembled, low and longing.

She felt the stubble of his beard brush harshly against her face. She was aware of the shaking of his hands as his fingers traced her arms.

"Did you forget to shave today?" she giggled, desperate to break the seriousness of the moment. She smoothed her hand across his cheek.

"It seems I'm forgetting a lot of things lately," he rasped, unaffected by her attempt to lighten the moment.

"It's sexy," she whispered, running her tongue across his ear then releasing a warm puff of air into it.

She felt him shiver, and felt his other biological response as well, as he engaged her in their longest, deepest kiss they'd yet shared. She pushed her hands under his shirts and he froze momentarily, but then relaxed into her touch and resumed exploring her mouth with his. No one had touched his chest since…well, since the last time she touched it when she had rubbed vapor rub on it when he was sick. It struck him as almost comical that this time with her hands stroking his chest he didn't need Soft Kitty or chicken soup or aspirin. The only thing that would possibly make him feel better was…was…God, he couldn't even make himself admit to the thoughts he was having about her…about what he wanted to do to her…about what he wanted her to do to him to make him feel better.

"I…I have a gift for you…for Valentine's Day," he struggled with the words, refraining from acting on the inappropriate thoughts he was having.

"Sheldon," she smiled, stepping back from him, pulling him towards the sofa, "I think we better move away from our mistletoe."

He grinned and nodded, glancing up at the bunched, drying leaves and berries before following her to the couch.

He removed an envelope from his back pocket and then eased down next to her.

"Here," he said, shoving it at her.

She smiled at him, taking note of his fidgeting fingers that rested on his knees that stuck up just a little bit higher than anyone else's who had ever sat next to her.

"Sheldon…you didn't have to get me a gift…I didn't get…" she looked down, silently admonishing herself for not getting a gift for him.

"Penny, my research indicates that it is customary that the man be responsible for gifting to his…" he searched for a proper personal pronoun, "…for his Valentine."

She kicked her eyes up to meet his, "I'm your…Valentine?"

"I…do you want to be?" he took her hand in his and cleared his throat, "Will you be my Valentine Penny?"

She reached for his hand and forced him to bring his eyes to hers, "Only if you will be mine."

"Well," his voice dropped into lecture mode, "that only stands to reason, Penny. If you are my Valentine, then I, in turn, will be yours."

She laughed, "You are something else, Doctor Cooper."

"Something good or something bad?" he asked.

"Oh, definitely something good."

"Open your present. I hope…I hope you like it. I don't really understand why you would, but I think you will…"

"Sheldon…you don't have to analyze and give a running dissertation about my gift. Let me just look at it, okay?"

"Yes," he smirked at her, anticipation at her reaction to his gift building in his heart.

She slid her finger under the adhesive flap of the envelope and pried it open. Reaching in, she retrieved two tickets, she studied them momentarily before letting out a loud 'whoop!' and then throwing her arms around his neck.

"Sheldon, I can't believe you got me…_us_…Radiohead tickets. How did you know I wanted…"

He cut her off, "Well Penny, I am a scientist and anyone with even halfway decent observation skills would know that you talk about this Radiohead of yours quiet often and when I researched them I discovered they were performing at the Hollywood Bowl and the only logical thing to do was purchase tickets…_for us_," he added, considering it was the first time he'd ever ask a girl out on a date.

"I can't believe you…thank you Sheldon. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." Tears stung her eyes and he wondered if they were sad tears or happy ones.

"It's just tickets Penny. Hardly worth sobbing over."

"No Sheldon, it's so much more than tickets to a concert. You," she sniffed and wiped her eyes, "you paid attention to me. You knew what I liked without asking. You…"

He smiled at her, pleased with her reaction to his gift, "Well, you are my Valentine Penny. And I am yours. I would think Valentines would do that for each other, would they not?"

"Yes. Yes they would," she said as she slipped the tickets back into the envelope and tossed it onto the coffee table.

He rolled his eyes as he surveyed the collection of magazines and remote controls and game controllers, along with her wine glass, scattered about the surface of the table.

"Well, just don't lose them in that organizational system you have there," he nodded towards the table top.

"Sheldon! Sarcasm, good for you."

He laughed his breathy laugh and then shifted in his seat, his mind racing back to what he now thought was the solution to the equation he had been working on before he had walked across the hall.

"I need to get back to work Penny. I'm glad you like the gift. The concert is next month. I shall purchase noise reducing ear plugs for each of us. The reported decibel level at these music shows is unhealthy."

She pushed her bottom lip out and pouted towards him, "No. I don't want you to go. You just got here."

He checked his watch, "No, I've been here exactly twenty-seven minutes and forty-four seconds…forty-five…"

She sighed, "Okay, Sheldon. You don't need to do a countdown. This isn't NASA."

"Penny, please. A countdown would be counting backwards…time is moving forward and I've now been here twenty-seven minutes and fifty-three seconds…see? Forward."

They both stood and moved towards the door, "Got it," she said, reluctant to tell him goodbye.

He paused at the door, and then surprised her by taking her hand and pulling her back to the mistletoe.

"I need to kiss you one more time," he whispered as he positioned them under the mistletoe and drew her closer.

"I'm glad you want to kiss me but you know we can kiss at the front door too."

"I…feel…I feel more comfortable here," he confessed. Sometimes he didn't understand his own quirks.

"Sweetie, I'll kiss you anywhere you want me to."

It took about two seconds for them both to get the double entendre of her remark.

He shuddered and closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly.

"Sorry," she whispered, then after a second thought she added, "No, I'm not sorry. My comment stands."

"Good Lord Penny," he sucked in a deep breath and then succumbed to her mouth that was reaching up for his.

He buried his hands in her hair and pulled her face to his. Her arms went around his waist and she sunk her hands into the back pockets of his pants and squeezed his ass gently.

"Penny…oh…" he pulled back and searched her face.

"I'm not going to apologize Sheldon."

"I don't want you to," he muttered as he felt himself grow hard against her.

"We can't keep doing this…stopping, I mean. I want you Sheldon."

"I am aware."

"Do you…want me?"

"Penny," he breathed out, "can you not _feel _the answer to your question?"

She laughed softly, burying her face in the lightening bolt on the front of his shirt, "Umm, yes…yes I can…so what's stopping you?"

"I…I need to go…"

"No. You need to answer me Sheldon. If we are going to…be in a relationship…you need to be honest with me. I need to know. I need to know if I am doing something wrong or…"

"God no, you are doing everything right Penny," he reached to remove her hands and took a step towards the door, away from their mistletoe.

"Then what?"

"I…I told you…I'm not ready…for this." He was blushing profusely and stumbled as he made his way closer to his escape.

"I understand…I'm sorry if I was…pushy," she dropped her gaze to the floor, "I just…you do things to me that I…"

He stopped and stepped back towards her, "Give it time Penny. I promise it will happen."

She nodded and lifted up on her tiptoes, keeping her hands to herself, and pecked him on his cheek.

"Good Night Moon Pie."

"Happy Valentine's Day Penny," and then turning back to point at the mistletoe, "and Happy Saturnalia."

She laughed and gave him her usual monthly response to his wish of a Happy Saturnalia, "It's February, Sheldon."

"I'm aware," he grinned back at her before pulling the door closed as he exited her apartment.

**March**

Their relationship had come as a surprise to no one except his roommate. Leonard had marked Penny early on, put his stamp of ownership on her and now Sheldon was with her. The two physicists had argued and almost come to blows except for the fact that neither of them had ever been in a fist fight in their lives. They both had been bullied and suffered at the hands of others, but neither had ever thrown a punch.

In the end they had decided to agree to disagree because Leonard knew from the past years that nothing he could do or say would sway Sheldon's mind. Raj and Howard had tried to tell him that the sexual tension between Sheldon and Penny had been palpable from the start, that it was just a matter of time before they acted on it. Leonard countered that it didn't matter, that he had called dibs on her first, had pursued her, had courted her, had wanted her. Howard finally gave up, coming to the conclusion that Leonard did not have the biological make-up to even begin to understand undeniable sexual attraction…the kind that demanded to be acted upon.

Sheldon tugged on the jeans she'd taken him shopping for. She had insisted on dressing him for the Radiohead concert and had dragged him around the mall for hours until finally settling on these jeans and agreeing to let him choose his own tee shirt as long as it was dark in color.

"Penny," he gasped when he looked at the price of the jeans, "Did you see what they are charging for these? And on top of that, they are defective. They have holes in them."

She had laughed and told him to turn around, adding, "I want to check out that sexy butt of yours."

She pronounced them "perfect" and insisted he purchase them. He shrugged as he handed over his credit card, but he felt a little better when she popped a kiss on his lips in front of the young man who was ringing them up. Sheldon had noticed the sales clerk checking her out as they moved around the store and he had even heard the guy try to hit on her while she stood waiting outside the dressing room for him. He had smiled to himself when he heard her tell him to back off, that she was standing there waiting for her boyfriend to try on jeans. He loved being her boyfriend. And now she had just kissed him in front of the guy and it made Sheldon feel ten feet tall. He shook his head and grinned at the revelation of yet another emotion that had been hidden in him all these years that Penny was able to elicit from him.

He now stood at her door knocking and calling her name. She waited patiently until he completed. His eyes widened in appreciation as he took in her appearance. She wore a short black skirt, a Batman tank top (because she had known he would choose his Batman t shirt) and a black leather jacket with knee high black boots.

"God Penny…you look…" he scanned his vocabulary for the proper pop culture word, finally settling on, "hot."

She grinned, "Mmmm…you look hot too Baby."

He loved it when she called him Baby. Yeah, he thought, Leonard could suck it, she called him Baby and that was all that mattered.

Her keys jingled in her hand as they bounced down the stairs.

"You can put your keys away, you won't need them tonight."

She laughed, "What? Did you sneak off and get your driver's license and buy a car this afternoon?"

He smiled at her, "No, I ordered a car and driver for us. I didn't want you to have to drive. And I certainly am not going to drive."

The concert had been fun (but loud, he complained to her, especially when she had refused to use the earplugs he'd given her). She had just grinned at him and ran her hands through his hair because, she thought, it made him look even cuter and messy hair soooo went with his jeans.

The traffic leaving the Hollywood Bowl was of nightmarish proportions and they both were glad that she wasn't driving. She snuggled close into him in the backseat, his arm around her shoulders, and raved about how much she enjoyed the show. He was pleased, but honestly he would never understand how she could categorize _that_ as music.

"Thank you for this," she sighed, "it was so much fun."

"You're welcome. While I am pleased that you enjoyed that…_music_…I now feel it is my duty to take you to a proper concert in the coming months. Do you enjoy piano?"

"You mean like Billy Joel or Elton John? My mom likes them…I grew up with their music."

He rolled his eyes, "Classical piano, Penny."

She giggled, "I knew what you meant."

She drug her fingers across his leg, moving up his thigh and scooted nearer to him. He lowered his head to watch her and she tilted her face towards him and landed a kiss first on his jaw line, then sliding to his chin before he finally dipped low enough to crush his lips into hers. The tension between them had been building for months now, him visiting her apartment until he was about to explode, refusing to let her take care of him, him running for the door mumbling about not being ready, both taking care of their own needs separately.

She pressed her fingers harder into his leg, letting her hand move towards his inner thigh. He shifted in the seat and moaned into her mouth. He attempted to speak but she refused to halt her kiss. When he tried to pull back, she followed him, keeping her lips locked on his. She used the hand that wasn't massaging his thigh to cup the back of his neck, forcing him to remain attached to her mouth. She smiled to herself when she felt the beginning of his hardness, taking that as the signal she had been waiting for to slide her hand slowly onto the growing bulge in his jeans. She rubbed him softly and released his mouth.

"Penny…"

"Should I stop?"

He ran his hand through his hair and moaned out, "No."

His mind was fuzzy and his eyes hooded. He reached over to the door to press the button that raised the glass between them and the driver. He laid his head back on the seat and dropped his gaze down to watch. She slowly unzipped his pants and reached in, working her way past the denim, using her fingers to slide past the opening of his boxers and finally touching him. Skin to skin contact had never felt so good.

He sucked in deeply as he observed her lower her head to his lap. When her tongue grazed lazily across his tip, he tightened his body and instinctively grasped the back of her head, her long strands of blonde cascading through his fingers.

"Oh God," he moaned, realizing instantly that her mouth was so much better than his hand.

He bucked his hips forward, apologized, tried to restrain himself and then came in her mouth much sooner than he wanted to.

"I…I'm sorry…Penny…I tried to hold it…," he stammered.

She sat up and smiled at him, "Baby, you are fine. You taste amazing. Now I need for you to help me."

"I don't know what…"

"It's okay, just…touch me. Is that okay…do you want to touch me?"

He nodded, there was nothing more in the world he wanted to do than touch Penny. If Einstein himself were to step out of the heavens and offer to reveal to him the mysteries of the universe, he'd pass, choosing instead to touch Penny.

She shifted over to him and climbed into his lap, straddling his thighs. She shrugged off her jacket and giggled as she moved her chest towards his face. He grinned and opened his mouth, taking in a tank top covered breast and playfully biting down on her. His large hands held her at her waist and she swiveled her hips against his. His pants remained unzipped and he gasped when he felt the soft silkiness of her panties rub against his spent member.

He reached lower to push her shirt up, happy to discover that her bra had a front closure. He quickly unsnapped it and was rewarded with her bare breasts bouncing inches from his face. He took one in his hand and tugged it towards his mouth and sighed with satisfaction when he heard her groan softly, "yes, God, yes Sheldon."

She took his other hand and guided it lower, landing it under her skirt, pressing his fingers against her mound. Her body jerked when his thumb smoothed over her clit and she ground her hips more firmly into him. He began to feel his own arousal making a return appearance as he traced the hem of the crotch of her panties before finally prying it back and sliding his finger under it. He had read about the slickness women experience when preparing for sex, but never in a million years could he have anticipated how much her wetness for him would turn him on. His long elegant index finger eased into her and then at her prodding, he added a second. She squirmed in his lap and bit down hard on his neck and shoulder

"Good…that's so good," she cooed into his ear.

"Penny…my God you feel so good…I can't even…"

He shifted and put his research into action, the new action from his hand and fingers causing her to come so hard she had to bite his shoulder to keep from alarming the driver. She collapsed into his chest, heaving for air, dropping kisses along his long, freckle dotted neck. Within moments, she was aware of his returned arousal pushing into her thigh. She giggled and looked down at him.

"Again?"

He smiled, "I don't know what is happening to me."

"You're a man, it's a good thing."

She lowered her head and squinted out the window, trying to ascertain their location.

"Our ETA is approximately four minutes," he sighed.

"Oh…well aren't you the genius?" she laughed.

"Yes, I am…oh…sarcasm?"

She patted him on his chest and nodded, "I'm sorry Baby, we need to straighten up if we are that close to home."

They took the stairs quickly, her hand tucked in his as he led the way to her apartment.

"To the mistletoe," she giggled, dragging him to what had now become his favorite spot in the universe. What had he said? Oh, point zero zero zero zero or something like that, her mind was too dizzy to figure out his mathematics.

He kissed her under the browning, aging relic of Christmas. He listened to her moans, he released a few of his on, she tugged him towards the bed, he resisted, she pleaded, he tried to explain his fears and then he turned to leave.

"Goodnight, Penny…and," gesturing towards the mistletoe added, "Happy Saturnalia."

"It's March, Sheldon."

"I'm aware."

It had become their monthly routine. She liked it.

**April**

He was sick and curled up on his side in his bed. He'd sent her a text canceling their movie date and warning her to stay away from his apartment or she may 'catch her death from him.' She had waited exactly thirty seconds for his next text, asking her to don rubber gloves and a face mask to protect herself and to please come over and take care of him. She passed Leonard in the hallway, rushing out to stay with Raj, dare he have to lift a finger to help his best friend and roommate. Bastard, she thought.

"Hey Baby," she said, pushing the door to his bedroom open and suppressing a giggle upon seeing his bright red nose and droopy eyes.

"I don't feel very well Penny."

She rubbed his arms, moved her hands to his chest and stomach, then smoothed her hands down his thighs and ended at his feet before teasing him, "You feel pretty good to me."

"Sarcasm? Really Penny, I'm on my death bed."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist, and you just look so…cute."

He sniffed dramatically, "Well, when you are finished admiring me in my state of distress, could you sing Soft Kitty to me please?"

"Of course," she smoothed his hair down and leaned to kiss his forehead.

He forced a smile, "I'd rather be standing under your mistletoe."

She laughed, "Um, I think you mean _our_ mistletoe, mister."

"That's Doctor," he corrected her.

"Excuse me, Doctor…our mistletoe _Doctor_."

He smirked at her, "And don't you forget it."

"How could I ever?"

One week later, he was standing in her bedroom watching her sleep. He'd just sung Soft Kitty to her and then, after she had fallen asleep, he'd gone into the bathroom to remove his mask and rubber gloves. He laughed to himself thinking of how she had blamed him for her illness. So, he had slipped and kissed her a few times while she took care of him when he was sick. Was it his fault he couldn't resist her? No it was not.

He moved to the kitchen and put a pot of water on to boil for tea. He checked to make sure there was honey in her cabinet, and there was of course because he was the one who had purchased it and put it away for times like this. He paused when he heard her call his name. He looked up to find her in the doorway of her bedroom watching him. He scanned her body, clad in short pink shorts and a skimpy tank top, one strap hanging halfway down her shoulder. Her hair was a beautiful, sexy mess, partially up and partially down, spun around her head like a golden cloud. He went to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he whispered.

"Don't look at me. I look awful. All my make-up is smeared off and I have raccoon eyes. I'm gross," she sighed and leaned into him.

"You look beautiful to me," he said, bending to kiss her.

She enthusiastically returned his kiss because they were after all standing under their mistletoe.

He finally broke the kiss and shook his head, "We're never going to get rid of this flu."

She looked up and pointed at the old mistletoe, "But it's a non-optional social convention, you know, kissing under the mistletoe."

"Yes, I see your point."

She sniffed, "Oh well, Happy Saturnalia Sheldon."

He laughed, "Hey, that's my line…oh and Penny, it's April."

She rolled her eyes, "Line stealer."

**May**

It was Penny's birthday and Sheldon had enlisted Raj to help plan her party. He had learned from her the importance of birthday parties and gifts and surprises. He took her out to an early dinner and then feigned a headache afterwards, providing an excuse to return to the apartment. She'd been thrilled when they walked in to find all of their friends there and the rooms had been decorated beautifully. Even Leonard was there, but really, Sheldon wouldn't admit it to anyone but Penny, he'd only invited Leonard in order to force him see for himself how happy they were together. _Doctor Sheldon Cooper, FTW._

Later that evening when everyone had left, they sat together on her blue sofa with the glow of the television flickering about the room. He'd wanted to immediately start the clean up, but she had insisted he stay seated beside her on the sofa. After all, she reminded him, it was her birthday. Ever the academic, he corrected her, looking down at his watch and pointing out to her that seeing as how it was one fifteen am, her birthday had officially ended seventy-five minutes ago. She nudged him in his ribs with her elbow and rolled her eyes.

He cleared his throat, "I still need to give you your birthday gift from me."

"You, being my boyfriend," she ran her fingers through his hair, "is the perfect gift for me."

"Well," he rolled his eyes, "I wish you had informed me of that before I spent all of my money on your present."

She snickered, "You are really getting the hang of sarcasm, huh?"

"Yes, much to my dismay, I am. It's very unbecoming to a scientist of my caliber, but I just can't help myself."

He stood and strolled across the room to his jacket, reaching in the pocket and pulling out a small box. He returned to her and dropped it in her lap. "Happy Birthday."

She grinned at him and ripped into the wrapping. She held her breath as she slowly opened the delicate satin box and peered inside. She lifted the diamond earrings from their resting place in the box.

"Sheldon," she whispered, "they are beautiful…breathtaking."

"They were Mee Maw's," his Texas drawl shining through at the mention of his beloved grandmother.

"I…I don't think I can accept them Sheldon. I'm sure they are very valuable and I doubt your Mee Maw would appreciate you giving them to some girl you happen to be dating."

He shook his head, "Penny, you are not _some_ girl. You are _my_ girl…you are _the_ girl."

"Sheldon…"

"She gave them to me two years ago. She said she wanted to make sure I got them, that if she died before she gave them to me, Missy or my Mom would end up with them and she wanted me to have them. She told me that someday I would fall in love with a girl and that was the girl she wanted me to give them to. I called her last week and told her I would be giving them to you for your birthday. She approved."

Penny paused, processing his words, watched him watching the floor, barely able to detect the flush of red in his cheeks.

"Sheldon, did you just tell me…"

"Yes," he managed to look up at her, holding his breath, scared to death of her reaction to his pronouncement, "I love you."

She slowly removed the earrings she had been wearing and replaced them with the ones he'd given her, then she scooted into his lap and leaned her face to his, resting her forehead on his.

"And I love you, Sheldon Lee Cooper."

He smiled and finally exhaled, thinking he may have fainted on her sofa had she not returned the sentiment.

"Stay with me tonight," she whispered in his ear hotly.

"Penny, don't tempt me."

"I'll wear the diamonds for you. Only the diamonds…" she said enticingly.

"Oh God," he shook his head and buried his face in her chest.

She squeezed her legs together tightly, putting just the right amount of pressure on his groin.

"I suppose since it is your birthday…" he trailed off.

"It's not my birthday any more," she pouted.

He stood, lifting her with him. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, arms around his neck, and prayed he was strong enough to carry her to the bed. He paused in the doorway and looked up at their dry and brittle mistletoe before speaking. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling back.

"Happy Birthday Penny and Happy Saturnalia."

"It's May."

"I'm aware."

He placed her on the bed, stumbling awkwardly as he did so, and she suppressed a giggle. He stepped back to study her, to survey the room, to stare at his feet…to pray that his hours of research on the topic of coitus would serve him well.

She lifted her body, shifting her weight to her knees and moved towards him, her position putting her slightly lower than eye level to him. She extended her arms and draped them across his shoulders. She noted the near wild look in his eyes and felt the strong thumping in his chest that was pressed against hers.

"If you are still not ready, we can wait," she whispered, running her tongue along the outer edge of his ear.

"No, I've been practicing, I'm prepared."

She smiled at him, "Practicing?"

He blushed, "With myself…I mean…you know so I would last longer. I don't wish to disappoint you."

She traced his jaw line with her fingers, "Baby, there is no way you could ever disappoint me. Having you here with me, staying the night with me, telling me you love me…Sheldon, that is all I need."

"No, I'm going to give you what you need," he smiled, pushing her back onto the bed and climbing on top of her.

She released a squeal of delight before his mouth came down on hers. His hands trembled as they ghosted across her skin, her arms, her legs and her exposed abdominal area. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer.

"Sheldon," she whispered, "have you ever…done this before?" She was sure she knew the answer but she needed to hear it from him.

"No. Am I doing it wrong?"

She bit back a laugh. He was so innocent, so adorable, she could barely believe she was with him.

"You are doing everything just right…except we need to get rid of our clothes for everything to work properly."

He sat up, straddling her body and looked deep in thought, "Oh. Yes of course. My hours of research on the topic never even mentioned removal of clothes."

"Hours?

"Hours."

She wiggled out from under him and came to a sitting position, facing him. She slowly lifted her shirt up and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the floor. His eyes followed it momentarily but then quickly flitted back to her bare chest. She reached for his hands and brought them to her breasts, placing a palm on each one. He gasp quietly, then slowly began to move his hands, his fingers gently rolling her nipples, pressing them against his thumbs until finally lowering his mouth to them. His lips brushed over first one, then the other before his tongue began to dart out and taste them.

Penny moaned with pleasure, arching her back, pushing her chest forward, giving him full access.

Sheldon thought to himself that this was so good he didn't even need coitus, he could just lick and suck her tits all night long and be content. Until that is, she brushed her hand across his growing erection and began to unbuckle his belt, sliding her fingers inside the waistband of his pants as she did so. No, if fact he did indeed want and need…coitus. God, how he wanted it.

With his pants undone, she traced her fingers up his ribcage, going under his shirt, finally grabbing a fist full of cotton superhero and undershirt and yanked both of them together over his head. He was oblivious to the fact that she tossed them on the floor. It struck him as odd that right now, at this moment, he didn't give a damn about anything but being inside Penny. The entire world could collapse around them and it wouldn't matter at all.

His breathing became shallow as she leaned into his bare chest and took his nipple in her mouth. He had so focused his research on what to do to her, it had never occurred to him what she might do to him. And dear God, this was good. She was lapping at his nipples and biting at his chest.

She began to ease his pants and boxers down. He had purposely been wearing boxers since the first time he had kissed her in anticipation of this moment. He had read online that women weren't particularly fond of briefs. She smiled as she grasped his now fully erect cock in her hand and whispered to him how big he was, how hard he was, how she couldn't wait to feel him inside of her.

This was a good thing, he thought. He had read about this online, she was saying all the things he wanted…needed…to hear.

He managed to kick his shoes off and shimmy the rest of the way out of his remaining clothing and with her help, he quickly had her naked and in his arms. He discovered he loved the sensation of her bare skin against his. Yet another thing the internet forums had neglected to mention. He was quickly learning that coitus…_sex_…with Penny was so much more that just a bunch of words on his computer screen.

"You feel so amazing Penny, like silk," he said shyly, desperately trying to resist the urge to descend to more primal verbiage that was slowly creeping from his groin, up his stomach and making a valiant effort to exit out his mouth.

"Mmmm, baby you feel good too," she whispered, continuing to stroke him.

He kissed her hotly, passionately, trying to sort between the two desires that were doing battle inside his brain. He loved her, and he wanted to be so gentle and slow with her, but also, there was an unexpected, nagging emotion building that overwhelmingly wanted to do nothing more than plunge into her, thrust in and out, say words he thought would never cross his lips and just own her. He went with the second option, but only because it stomped all over the first option and left that gentle little love feeling dead in the water.

"God, Penny…I want to…" he wasn't sure he could utter the words that swirled in his mouth, words that were controlled more by his arousal than by his brain.

She knew. It was their first time and she figured they would have plenty of time later for making love. Besides, she had learned years ago that a guy has to learn how to fuck before he could ever begin to learn how to make love.

Right now she just wanted to fuck the boy. And she wanted to let the boy fuck her.

"It's okay baby…it's normal…just say what you feel. I want to hear it."

"I want to…I've got to…fuck you," he breathed out, wondering where that even came from and yet not really caring. Words that he had read and heard from his copious research that he had discounted as lower level drivel by the uneducated were now the only words his brain could conjure.

"Yes," she sighed, as she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, getting off on his dirty talk.

"I need to be inside of you," he growled, becoming more aggressive now that she had assured him that he didn't have to hold back.

She bucked her hips towards his and moaned as he simultaneously squeezed her nipple and pushed the head of his cock into her slick folds. She spread her legs wider and reached to guide him into her waiting sweet spot.

He paused momentarily at this new feeling, taking it in, processing it quickly, and sighing with pleasure.

"You are so hot and wet," he moaned into her mouth as he thrust into her.

"It's what you do to me Sheldon. Only you. I'm wet for you."

Her words caused him to drive deeper and pump harder.

"God Penny, what you do to me. I can hardly control…" he dropped his mouth down again and kissed her deeply, his tongue plunging into her mouth with the same vigor as his cock was working her over.

She met him stroke for stroke as she felt the slow and steady and intense build of her impending orgasm, throbbing, ready to release onto him.

"Sheldon, I'm so close. Damn…you're fucking me so good, give it to me baby…oh God," she whimpered beneath him.

He pounded away at her, nearing his own release, "God Penny, oh…" he rocked her hard and strong as his release began to fill her. He felt her muscles tighten around him as she reached her own climax, squeezing out the last drop of his goodness. He collapsed his sweat covered body onto hers, and then worrying his weight might hurt her, he pushed up on his elbows, looking down at her.

"Wow," she whispered, "are you sure you are a virgin?"

"Not anymore," he smiled at her.

"True dat," she giggled and he rolled his eyes and pointed out to her that 'dat' wasn't a real word in the English language. His vocabulary skills seemed to have returned to their proper working order.

"Sheldon, after the things we just said to each other, I don't think you really need to be giving me a grammar lesson right now."

He sighed contentedly and then laughed, "True dat, Penny, true dat."

Two years later they were married. Their wedding date was December 17, the original date of Saturnalia. It was, as the Latin poet Catullus had written about Saturnalia, _the best of days._


End file.
